The poll of roughly 1,000 adults aged 18 and over was conducted June 14-15, shortly after President Trump’s historic summit with the North Korea dictator. According to the results, 19 percent of Republicans indicated they had a favorable view of Kim with 68 percent saying they had an unfavorable view (12 percent of voters overall had a favorable view of Kim, compared to 75 percent who viewed him unfavorably). That compared slightly better than the perception of Pelosi, who had a 17 percent favorable, 72 percent unfavorable rating among self-identified Republicans.

Pelosi, nevertheless, was only the second-most disliked figure on Capitol Hill. Her overall 29 percent favorable, 47 percent unfavorable rating was slightly better than the numbers for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). McConnell had an overall favorability rating of 20 percent with 43 percent viewing him unfavorable. (Self-identified Democrats, for what it’s worth, had a significantly more favorable opinion of McConnell than of Kim Jong Un.)

The numbers reinforce that being in the middle of the political fray, and for such a long period of time, is highly damaging for one’s overall perception. And that appears to be true in reverse as well. Some former leaders, now detached from the day-to-day slugfest of politics, have seen their approval ratings climb.

Former president George W. Bush was viewed favorably by 63 percent of the respondents and unfavorably by only 31 percent. That includes a 51 percent favorability rating among Democrats and an 86 percent favorability rating among Republicans. By contrast, President Trump was viewed favorably by 83 percent of Republicans, and just 10 percent of Democrats. The president’s overall favorability rating stands at 40 percent while his unfavorability rating is at 57 percent.

Trump’s apparent stranglehold on Republican voters has also led them to buy into the notion that the mainstream media is out to get him in their coverage of the administration.

Presented with the statement “The mainstream media is biased against President Donald Trump,” 87 percent of Republicans surveyed agreed with 67 percent strongly agreeing. Only 20 percent of Democrats in the survey agreed with that sentiment.